"Sho!"

Taika's reunion with her Maestro was as joyous as when they had been separated for over a week. She jumped into his arms, and if not for her telekinesis, she would have taken him down to the ground.

"You were gone for like twelve hours, chill." Rebecca rolled her eyes, though she suppressed the smile that wanted to rise.

Pacifica was locked onto Kaira, who bitterly refused to take in the spectacle. Jealousy shrouded the jackal like a bad odor. The water element broke her gaze from her earth counterpart. They didn't have time for a heart-to-heart right now.

"Let's get breakfast," Shouri announced.

"But the castle!" Colette shouted. Her sudden desperation was unlike anything anyone had ever seen from the normally logical scholar. "We have to!"

Shouri eyed Kaira. He hummed in disapproval as the jackal refused to reign her Maestro in--what happened between the two? He sensed Pacifica knew something, but decided to quash his curiosity for now; that was something to address once they figured this situation out.

"No." The guildmaster put his foot down. "We're not walking into what could possibly be a trap with empty stomachs. That's just a recipe for disaster. We're eating and that's final."

"But--!"

"Sho, couldn't we grab some fast food on the way to the train and eat there?" asked Taika.

"That's what we did the first time we went to the castle," Rebecca pointed out.

He considered his Resonators' ideas. "Okay, fine. We stop by M'krocs and grab breakfast," he acquiesced. His stern gaze fixated on Colette. "But we're not getting off the train until you've eaten everything." He felt more like the other Maestro's dad rather than her employer.

… This was a weird situation.

"I will! Let's go let's go!" Colette refused to tarry any further and ushered the group onward.

Taika beamed with joy as she stared at her breakfast sandwich. The little vixen licked her lips as she savored the distinct aroma of bread, meat, and cheese that waft from her meal. With a hearty chomp she bit into it, squealing as she enjoyed every second of flavor.

"You're so simple," Rebecca said with a chuckle. She looked across her lunar counterpart to Shouri who was sipping his coffee while he studied one of his tuners. "Make sure you eat too, bossman," chided the fire element.

"I will, coffee first," he replied.

He scanned the local news while he waited for their departure. A lot of it was boring stuff; celebrity gossip, political drama, and even a heartwarming story about a woman and her seeing-eye Resonator.

One article caught his attention.

NEWS x

Missing Maestros Found! LYREANN (LRLN) – The search is over for four missing Maestros who vanished a couple of days before the Festival of Hope. They were discovered by a pair of hunters at 3:25 in the morning last night. The missing Maestros are in critical condition, nearly drained of all their rhythm. They have yet to awaken, but are stable in Lyreann General Hospital.

This is an ongoing story and we'll bring you more as it develops.

With a sudden lurch, the train left the station towards a familiar destination. Shouri put his tuner away to focus on his food and the trip ahead. He and his trio had been to Lyreann Castle in the past; it was the cover that marked the beginning of their battle against Ilea Vim. To say it inspired tension in the quartet was an understatement.

"Have you ever been to Lyreann Castle?" asked Pacifica of the pair that joined them today.

"Mhm! We came here a bunch when we were kids," Colette beamed. Kaira remained quiet, though her Maestro failed to notice. "I've always loved this castle. We spent a summer doing volunteer work helping to clean it, and we got to learn a lot about the history of the castle," the Maestro continued.

Shouri noted Colette's change in demeanor. It was strange, but he figured she was more at ease now that they were on their way to their destination.

"It was the castle of a powerful noble, who moved later on in life to a quiet cottage in the countryside after the death of his wife. Nobody knows what happened to him. Kinda just the way history was back in the day," Colette trailed off, frowning at the lack of conclusion to that story.

"Not like nowadays where anything you say is basically preserved forever," Pacifica joked.

"Nah, there's plenty of shit I remember happening when I was younger that people misremember--they even talk about it online like its fact," Shouri rebuked.

"Oh?"

"I mean modern example: all the shit we went through with Ilea Vim," he pointed out.

Pacifica furrowed her brows. "Right… Emily told us everything surrounding it was scrubbed from the web." She didn't like this train of thought.

"History is written by the winners--the people with the most influence," Shouri stated simply before biting into his own breakfast sandwich.

"Either way, Lyreann Castle is still lovely, even in the winter!" Colette beamed.

"Oh no, we're going to an ancient castle in the winter," Pacifica said with dread.

"What's wrong, Paci?" asked Taika.

"Castles aren't exactly known for their fantastic insulation." The otter curled up in her jacket.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"It'll be fine," said the lunar fox.

"Just ask Sho to borrow a fire fox," Rebecca offered.

The cold averse otter nodded quickly, turning her pleading gaze to Shouri.

"When we get there," said the Maestro. "Don't want them to throw us out because we cast a spell on a moving train," he added.

"Fine, I can wait," Pacifica huffed, throwing herself back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest.

Shouri smiled and shook his head. His curiosity got the better of him though--he wasn't sure what to expect when they arrived at the castle. Colette shared his impatience, her knees bobbed up and down as she stared out the window, her gaze only breaking to check the time on her tuner. The boy exhaled and tried to relax. There wasn't any use in getting so wound up before they arrived. If this was a trap by some nefarious actor they'd need to be ready to fight at a moment's notice.

He only hoped that a combination of his status as a guildmaster and his network of connections could get him out of any legal trouble he found himself in.

The boy knew it wasn't that simple.

"Famiglio Incendio, Presto."

Pacifica giggled in delight as a flame fox jumped into her jacket for her to cuddle.

"Brrr…" Colette trembled, rubbing her arms as they stood in the unheated terminal under Lyreann castle. "So cold…" Her teeth chattered as she spoke.

Kaira, despite being in shorts and a short-sleeved top was nonplussed by the chilly sting of the Lyreann winter.

"Let's get into the castle proper--no use dallying around here." Shouri waved the group forward, and they entered the long stairwell up to the grand bedroom. Even a second pass through the secret tunnel, Shouri and Taika were in awe at the history that surrounded them. They only hoped they weren't about to make their own history in these hallowed halls.

The six-strong group arrived at the top of the stairs and made their way into the bed chambers.

Almost immediately, Colette locked onto the painting on the Blaze Lyre that hung proudly on the north wall.

"It's even more beautiful than I remember." Colette's smile was warm and genuine, as her eyes stole every detail of the nearly 1400-year-old painting.

"It is a nice painting," Shouri agreed, taking in the expert craftsmanship lost to time.

Colette was rooted in place however, as she refused to tear her eyes away from the painting. Shouri and his Resonators shared concerned looks. Kaira, meanwhile didn't revere the artwork like her Maestro, but just stood off to the side, as she patiently waited for her Maestro to be done.

And done she was, in an instant, Colette broke her scrutinous gaze and made her way for the hallway.

"This way."

Taika was the first to follow. Shouri and the other three Resonators stood dumbfounded at the tone Colette used. She moved and spoke with such certainty it took them completely off guard.

"Keep an ear out, Rebby," Shouri advised. The battle hardened vixen nodded, and they gave chase to the other Maestro.

They caught Colette and Taika turning a corner. One which earned a confused "huh" from Kaira.

"What's up?" asked Shouri.

"That stairwell is normally roped off--it's not for visitors," noted the jackal with uncertainty.

"She's going to get herself in trouble and make it my problem!" Shouri bolted off to chase after his guild member, the three Resonators behind him.

Sure enough, Colette and Taika had breezed past the rope that blocked off access to the dark stairwell, and had already made it halfway up.

"Colette!" Shouri hissed, but she didn't listen.

With no other choice, Shouri followed her lead, ducked under the velvet rope, and chased her up the stairwell.

Shouri along with the trio of girls behind him found themselves near the top of the castle. It was quiet, with but a single window illuminating the long room. They were surrounded by wood and stone. Sitting undisturbed at the window was a single item—a musical instrument of unmatched beauty. A lyre cast in orange, red, and gold with blues peaking out from the little ball of fire.

No one moved, except Colette. She approached the lonely lyre and fell to her knees in front of the instrument. She gently took it up in her grasp, cradling the instrument as if it was made of glass. She looked back over her shoulder at Shouri. "It's her… she was calling me here…" whispered the Maestro as the rest of the group approached her. Colette was brimming with joy at the little harp she now possessed, studying every little detail of the gorgeous instrument.

Before Shouri could get a grip on the situation, a new voice spoke.

"Oh my, I was too late."

Colette froze at the sound of that voice.

The group spun around to face the intruder. A man and a woman stood at the end of the roost. The woman was obviously a Maestro, a clear tuner in her grasp. However, Pacifica instantly sensed something was horribly wrong.

"She's… not there…" whispered the otter, holding an arm up in front of Shouri.

Shouri scanned the Maestro, but she was barely moving, her skin was pale, ashy almost, her expression blank, like she was a puppet on strings.

The man was just as pale, he looked as if he'd get a sunburn with only seconds of exposure. He was a dapper sort of fellow, dressed in an elaborate dark suit; blacks and reds his hues of choice.

He stood with confidence; no, more than that, he stood without fear. Yet… there wasn't a Resonator between the two interlopers.

"You really shouldn't have done that little girl--now you have to die."

The room chilled. Shouri's grip on Taika and Pacifica's tuners almost hurt from tension he placed around them. Colette hugged the little lyre to her chest as tightly as she could, trembling fearfully.

"Th-that's h-him… the man…" Poor Colette could barely get her words out.

And for good reason--if intent could kill, this man was an army's worth. Beads rattled, sand shifted, embers sparked, water sloshed. Four Resonators were ready to fight. And yet this normal-looking man remained composed and unbothered by the violence that threatened to be turned on him.

"Desmond," he suddenly spoke. "It's only natural I offer my name to calves about to be slaughtered."

Every word spoke his malintent. Colette shook her head, refusing to release the instrument, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Do try to entertain me." And then he attacked.

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